Islam and Human

Rights
Middle Eastern Analysis
 • The Last Sermon of Prophet of Islam in 632
A.D
 Rights for all mankind (not for Muslims
Human Rights only)
 Rights for both men and women
in Islam vis-à-  Rights for all strata of society
 Comprehensive charter of rights
vis Universal • Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948

Declaration of  Ratified by all the member states of the

United Nations
Human Rights  A preamble and 30 articles
 Responsibility to Protect 2005: Use of
force to uphold UDHR
 Humanitarian intervention
Contd.
Human Rights In Islam
• Right to life
• Right to safe life
• Freedom of speech
Women Rights in Islam
• Equal status with men in spiritual realm
• Right of enterprise
• Right to participate in public sphere

• Freedom of conviction • Right of education

• Right of inheritance
• Right of association
• Testimonial right
• Right of peaceful assembly
• Women-specific rights/favors
• Right of legal counsel
• Social justice
• Economic well-being
 • Discriminatory legislation
• Forced niqab (veil)
Gender Divide • Work place discrimination
•
in ME: Modes Employment and healthcare
prejudice
and Methods • Male guardianship system
• Domestic violence
• Political repression
 Major Violations
Human Rights’ • Political Rights under siege
• Non-existent democratic
Violations in culture
ME: Is Islam • Discrimination against women
• Threats to religious freedom
Responsible? • Disregard for human life and
property
 • Dictatorship in ME: The role of and
foreign powers
Islam is not • Selective importation of democracy:
KSA versus Iraq
Responsible: • Geopolitical games –KSA-Iran rivalry
Underlying and religious intolerance
• Subjugation of women: the
Factors longstanding chauvinistic culture
• Anachronistic and conservative
interpretation of religion
Human Rights • Aiding and abetting strongmen leaders
• Disregard of violations of human rights
in MENA in friendly nations
Region – • Humanitarian intervention for rivals/
Selective use of “Responsibility to
Double Protect”

Standards of • Human rights violations by “Coalition

of the Willing” in Iraq
West • Role during Arab Spring
 • Cultural specificity refers to the unique
aesthetic, ideological, literal, artistic,
and religious features of a community
or a group of people (Zhang, 2007).
• Cultural specificity is opposite of
Cultural cultural universalism that holds that
Specificity there are certain themes that are
common across cultures (Zhang,
2007).
• Cultural specificity of middle east is
important in understanding the nature
of human rights in the region.
Cultural Specificity and Particularism:
Understanding ME Human Rights Situation
• Status of women
• Lack of robust democratic norms
• Political oppression
• Does middle eastern cultural specificity opens the door of
particularism?
× No
References
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